LinkedIn is evolving beyond its traditional role as a professional networking platform. It’s now targeting a new audience: users caught between the short-form video craze of TikTok and the microblogging chaos of X (formerly Twitter).
Twitter’s Turmoil and TikTok’s Dominance
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it to X, the platform has seen a significant drop in daily users, with a 25% decline in the U.S. alone.
TikTok surpassed a billion users and became the first non-game app to hit $10 billion in consumer spending, fueled by its addictive short-form video format.
Many users, accustomed to X’s microblogging style, find TikTok’s format too alien, leaving them in limbo between the two platforms and creating an audience gap.
LinkedIn’s Strategic Pivot
To shed its “stuffy” reputation, LinkedIn is borrowing elements from TikTok and X to appeal to a broader demographic. This will allow it to expand its user base and more deeply engage them, boosting its ad revenue.
Recent examples include puzzle-based interactions to help users “deepen relationships”, short-form videos in their own feed, and a renewed focus on news content.
With a reported $15 billion in revenue during the 2023 fiscal year and $1.7 billion from premium subscriptions, LinkedIn’s financial health allows it to innovate at a pace unmatched by a declining X and a potentially banned TikTok.
If successful, LinkedIn will pull off a long-term expanding pivot, becoming both a professional and informational hub and a key consideration for both paid and organic social campaigns.
Embrace LinkedIn innovation and Adapt Your Strategies
LinkedIn has traditionally been a powerful platform for B2B marketing, but with its recent changes, its appeal and utility for marketers can be much broader.
Here are several easy tweaks to your marketing strategies that will help you keep up with platform shifts:
- Spruce Up Your Page: Treat your LinkedIn company page as a real channel, not just a platform for job seekers. Engage your audience with compelling content, showcase your company culture, and highlight your products or services in a professional context.
- Re-Purpose TikToks: Experiment with LinkedIn’s new short-form video feature by repurposing your TikToks and YouTube Shorts that might appeal to a more mature audience. Tailor the content to fit LinkedIn’s professional tone while maintaining the engaging, snackable format.
- Cross-Post to LinkedIn: Any content you post on Twitter/X should be cross-posted to LinkedIn with minimal edits. X’s new long-form posts, in particular, can make excellent LinkedIn posts with just a few tweaks to align with the platform’s professional focus.
- Get Professional: Emphasize the professional aspects of your product or service. Work is a significant portion of life, and most things can be applied to professionals in some way. Showcase how your offerings can improve work efficiency, enhance career growth, or solve common workplace challenges.
By adapting to the changing social media sphere, LinkedIn plans to appeal to a broader demographic without compromising its professional identity. Brands recognizing this change and adapting early stand to benefit the most from an increasing reach and engagement on LinkedIn.
Dia´s Weekly Download Edition #8
